Buzz
It's fascinating to think about possessing abilities far beyond what we, as humans, are capable of. Imagine lifting ten times your own body weight or having the ability to see radiation with your naked eyes.
In some ways, this idea isn't as far-fetched as it may seem. If we were able to implant specific animal organs into our own bodies, we could unlock these abilities and much more.
10. Planarian Cells
Let's start by examining the extraordinary cells of the planarian. These remarkable flatworms possess a unique ability that many of us would envy: the power to regenerate limbs at will. In fact, scientists have experimented by cutting planarians into several pieces, only to find that each fragment regenerates into a fully functional worm, complete and whole.
Even more fascinating is that the planarian retains its memories from its time as a single organism. This means the worm can essentially clone itself, all while holding onto its memories. (Imagine if we had this capability!)
If you sever the worm’s head, the head will regenerate its own body. Meanwhile, the original body, which can still detect light even without its head, will grow a new head complete with a brain and nervous system.
Remember those multi-headed dragons from cartoons? Planarians have a similar talent. When cut in specific ways, they’ve been known to grow multiple heads—sometimes up to 10! Isn't that fascinating?
9. Snakes’ Vomeronasal Organs
A snake's vomeronasal organ (also known as Jacobson’s organ) enables it to track prey over long distances. (If this organ functioned similarly in humans, it would help us locate a spouse in a crowded mall or our child at Walmart, for instance.)
This is achieved by detecting non-volatile chemical substances (which require direct contact with the epithelium to be detected), such as pheromones or the scent of prey, which are left behind by every animal. Snakes use their tongues to gather these particles onto their vomeronasal organs. Their bifurcated tongue even allows them to analyze the collected data and determine the direction in which their prey has gone. This would be a useful tool for a human in law enforcement.
8. Wood Frog’s Liver
While freezing to death may not be the most excruciating way to die, it is certainly one of the most uncomfortable. Every year, thousands attempt to summit Mount Everest, and almost annually, someone succumbs to the brutal cold. Additionally, many more people lose their lives due to freezing temperatures around the globe.
But what if there was a way to avoid this fate? Instead of giving in to the cold, what if we could thaw out and return to full vitality when spring arrives?
This is exactly what the wood frog achieves each year. Rather than increasing its metabolic rate to generate internal heat like mammals, the wood frog does the exact opposite. This remarkable animal drastically slows its metabolism, allowing it to survive without the need for energy or oxygen.
The wood frog’s heart, along with nearly every other organ in its body, comes to a complete halt. While individual cells remain alive, they no longer communicate with one another.
As Don Larson, a University of Alaska grad student at the time, put it, 'On an organismal level, they are essentially dead.'
The frog releases glucose from its liver into its bloodstream, directing it toward all of its internal organs. This glucose acts as a natural antifreeze, preventing the frog's insides from freezing until it can thaw out in the spring.
7. Ophiocoma Wendtii’s ‘Eyes’
The Ophiocoma wendtii is an incredibly fascinating creature. Its visual abilities surpass nearly everything humanity has ever created. Roy Sambles of the University of Exeter stated, 'It’s astonishing that this organic creature can manipulate inorganic matter with such precision—and yet it’s got no brain.'
This brittle star possesses an extraordinary ability to see in nearly any direction from just about anywhere on its body. This is due to the fact that the Ophiocoma wendtii is covered in small, crystalline, ball-like lenses, transforming its entire body into an all-seeing eye.
To put this into perspective, it would be like humans having the ability to see from every hair follicle on our bodies. For the brittle star, this means it can escape from predators while searching for a hiding spot and everything else in between. Imagine a human with this ability going through a haunted house—it would certainly spoil the experience.
6. Mantis Shrimp Eyes
If you thought the brittle star’s vision was extraordinary, get ready for the mantis shrimp. With 12 to 21 photoreceptors, the mantis shrimp boasts some of the most advanced eyes in the animal kingdom. By comparison, humans have only three photoreceptors in their eyes.
Unlike humans, the mantis shrimp can see ultraviolet light and various shades of it. Its visual abilities are comparable to out-of-orbit satellites. This discovery initially left scientists perplexed because, despite having the world’s most advanced natural UV light-detecting system, the mantis shrimp has a peculiar method of distinguishing colors.
Although scientists have figured out what the mantis shrimp’s eyes can do, the how and why behind its evolution remain a mystery. By the way, this creature isn’t technically a shrimp. It’s more closely related to lobsters and crabs.
5. Green Basilisk Feet
Our feet take us on long journeys, moving us from point A to point B. But what if we had the ability to walk on water? Even if only for a short distance, wouldn’t that be amazing?
Well, the feet of the green basilisk are capable of just that. Known for running 4.6 meters (15 ft) across water, this reptile has earned the nickname “Jesus Christ lizard” for obvious reasons. It can achieve this thanks to its fringed feet, which unfurl as it runs, trapping air inside and enabling the creature to run on water.
Just imagine how incredible it would be if we had the ability to walk on water like that.
4. Owl’s Wings
Flight and stealth are incredibly difficult to achieve even with today’s technology. Sure, we have stealth jets, but how many millions (or even billions) do we spend building just one of these?
Picture yourself flying anywhere in near silence, completely undetectable by your enemies. Well, that’s exactly what the owl does.
As a nocturnal hunter, the owl manages to capture its prey with nearly perfect success, thanks to two key factors—its vision (which is no surprise) and its wings. The ability to fly noiselessly has left many scientists puzzled. So, how does the owl pull this off?
This is largely due to the design of its wide wings, which cover a vast area. As a result, the owl doesn’t need to flap its wings often, contributing to its almost silent flight.
Even more crucially, the owl’s main feathers are serrated, which helps break up the turbulence. The edges of these feathers further dampen the sound of the air, adding to the bird’s almost magical ability to fly silently.
3. Sperm Whale’s Circulatory System
A Badjao tribesman was recorded diving as deep as 20 meters (65 ft) underwater for about five minutes. At that depth, the immense water pressure on your body is overwhelming. Holding your breath for that long under such pressure, without any equipment, is no easy feat.
The longest someone has ever voluntarily held their breath is 24 minutes and 3.45 seconds, a record set by Aleix Segura Vendrell in Barcelona, Spain, on February 28, 2016, according to Guinness World Records.
Now, imagine holding your breath for nearly two hours instead. The sperm whale does just that as a natural part of its existence. Roughly every 90 minutes, it rises to the surface, expels air from its lungs at speeds of 300–500 kilometers per hour (185–310 mph), and inhales as much oxygen as it can before diving back down.
It’s a common misconception that the whale has enormous lungs, but that’s not the case. When compared proportionally, a whale’s lungs aren’t much larger than those of any land mammal. Instead, the whale’s unique circulatory system is what allows it to achieve this feat.
To begin with, the sperm whale’s circulatory system contains a significantly higher number of red blood cells (which carry oxygen) than other mammals. Additionally, while submerged, the whale’s heartbeat slows down, only increasing slightly when it surfaces to breathe.
As the whale dives, blood flow is restricted, nearly stopping in some regions. Despite this, the whale remains active because its muscles store large quantities of oxygen.
2. Bombardier Beetle’s Gland
Bombardier beetles have developed an extraordinary and highly efficient method for defending themselves against predators. If humans possessed such a power, it’s safe to say crime rates might plummet. If only we could overlook the fact that this ability originates from the insects' behinds.
The bombardier beetle utilizes its rear to eject a searing, corrosive liquid directly into the face of its adversary. A group of researchers from MIT, the University of Arizona, and the Brookhaven National Laboratory used high-speed synchrotron X-ray imaging to observe exactly how this creature performs this remarkable act.
The beetle creates benzoquinone in its rear by combining two liquids. This causes a chemical reaction where the liquids rapidly boil, generating the pressure required to expel the benzoquinone in a pulsating stream. The compartment that contains the liquid then seals off from the chamber that provided the liquid, allowing the chamber walls to cool before the next spray is released.
Isn’t nature incredible?
1. Platypus Snout
Imagine being in complete darkness, with absolute silence surrounding you. If you needed to find someone, how would you go about it?
Humans are confined to just five senses: sight, touch, taste, hearing, and smell. In such a scenario, detecting someone would be quite a challenge with our current abilities. But what if we had the power to sense living beings through their electrical signals?
Nearly every living organism generates electricity within its body, produced by the heart, brain, and nervous system. A platypus’s bill is capable of sensing all these electrical signals, even in pitch-black, cold water.
The platypus’s bill employs two techniques—electroreception and mechanoreception—to locate prey in the water. The bill has striped pores that emit electrical signals to detect the electricity from its prey. Meanwhile, the mechanical receptors release signals to predict the prey's movements.
